A conventional fully automatic clothes washing machine has been developed to provide a normal heating apparatus in a tub in order to wash clothing with warm water heated over approximately 50.degree. C. The tub includes only a top cover mounted on the upper part of the tub, thus providing direct accessibility thereto. The machine operator is exposed directly to warm water when the top cover is opened, thereby creating a risk to the operator of being burned by boiling water. Therefore, the washing machine automatically stops the operation of the heater, if the top cover is opened. Furthermore, the conventional washing machine forces the washing tank to rotate at a high speed during the dehydrating mode. When the top cover is opened, the sudden stopping generates a warning sound, and inertia causes the washing tank to continue to rotate, thereby flushing the washing water out of the tub during the dehydrating of clothes.
On the other hand, it is expected that a boiling clothes washing machine will be developed to heat washing water over the boiling point of approximately 95.degree. C. Actually, such a machine is necessary to obtain sterilization, deodorization and bleaching when washing clothes which can withstand a high temperature, which are seriously contaminated or which will not discharge their printing. This washing method can be realized by boiling the washing water. The boiling washing machine must assure sufficient sealing for the steam vapor leaking from the tub in order to prevent damage to the electrical parts of the washing machine.
Therefore, it should be noted that the conventional top covers used in these washing machines cannot be adapted to a boiling clothes washing machine.
An object of the present invention is to provide a top cover locking system and a method for a boiling clothes washing machine for performing boiling wash and dehydrating modes only under a locked condition of the top cover, thereby promoting safety.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a top cover locking system and a method for a boiling clothes washing machine for performing a boiling wash mode only under the locked condition of the top cover, thereby enhancing thermal efficiency.